Holistic medicine takes a whole-person approach to healing - not only is the chemistry of the body considered, so is the workings of the patient's mind and spiritual health.

At one time this approach was considered out of the realm of conventional medicine, but today many physicians are adopting certain tenants of the holistic approach in their practice.

"Spirituality is a huge piece of how we address the stress in our lives," said Dr. Thomas Golemon, chairman and professor for the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria. "What's the most important thing to you and who's on your side when the chips are down?"

Golemon said he always has quietly addressed spirituality with his patients as an important piece in the puzzle of good health. Having a spiritual and social framework that helps patients deal positively with the difficulties of life is important.

"Certainly we know that mood, and how people address their lives does make a difference in how people get well," he said. "Your environment is important - do you belong to a church or a synagogue or do you have someone who can support you? All this stuff plays into what your blood pressure is doing."

But a good support system and a positive attitude is not the only thing - it's much more complicated than that. "Optimistic people still die of cancer," Golemon said. It's important for people to be selective in their use of alternative medical treatments - some things are good, but some can have negative consequences, Golemon said.

"Sometimes when I look at people's medicine lists, there are five, six, eight diet supplements there - a lot of time those supplements interact with the other medicines they are taking," Golemon said. "Is it good for them to be taking all these trace metals? I don't see the data for that."

Conventional medicine is research-based - in other words, doctors don't recommend treatments that have not been proven effective through scientific study. A few years ago studies pointed to fish oil as being good for the heart, and doctors began recommending that their patients take fish oil supplement. But while pills are convenient, it's not the same as consuming the real thing.

"Eating a fatty fish is much better than taking a pill of the oil from a fish," said Dr. Jeff Leman, family practice doctor and associate program director of the family medicine residency program.

Diet has become one tenant of holistic medicine wholeheartedly adopted by conventional medicine. Many studies have proven that patients can greatly improve their health - and in some cases cure disease - by consuming the right foods. Thirty years ago, this was a pretty radical idea.

Page 2 of 2 - "When I was in medical school in the '70s, and even into the '80s the lectures on nutrition were minimal," said Golemon.

Leman is one of the doctors spearheading a program to help doctors acquire cooking skills for healthy eating. The first class of "Cook Well ... Eat Well ... Live Well" met recently. The series is aimed at teaching doctors no-nonsense ways of improving their diet with the thought that, ultimately, they will pass the information on to their patients.

"Research has shown that providers do a better job of counseling their patients when they have a healthier diet themselves," said Leman.

In the meat and potatoes culture of the Midwest, many people find it difficult to change to a plant-based diet. Complicating the issue further, many healthy diet plans include organic foods which are more expensive and can be more difficult to find.

"Our push is for healthier patterns of eating, not organic food," said Leman. "So far the data is not there for organic foods. If the only way people can get their vegetables is at Aldi, that's fine. There's tons of evidence that eating more vegetables a day is healthier."

Reducing the amount of red meat consumed and substituting fish and chicken is also part of the recommendations. Olive oil, a plant-based fat, is preferred over other types of oils.

The class is part of a general push at UICOMP to get more information about diet to doctors - there is a similar class being conducted for medical students, Leman said.

Even before studies confirmed the importance of diet, Golemon said many physicians knew it was key. Today they can make specific recommendations to help their patients take better care of themselves, a holistic approach that can prevent disease before it happens.

"I can give them lots of pills, but if they don't eat right and exercise, it's a battle," said Golemon.